Month: September 2016

Three weeks into the NFL season and we’re down to five undefeated teams.

Last year the Panthers made it to 14 wins before their first loss. We’ll see if any of these five can take it that far.

With Boykin, the Seahawks used a lot of run-pass options, which he is familiar with from his days at TCU, and plenty of zone read.

The Seahawks’ playbook would shrink if they had to play Boykin for a whole game, but they don’t have to change the run game and can rely on some of the core concepts he’s familiar with.

5. The Seahawks are hoping to get Germain Ifedi back at right guard this week. Ifedi suffered a high ankle sprain before the opener but had a strong summer. If healthy, he’ll take over for J’Marcus Webb.

The Patriots, Ravens, Eagles, Vikings and defending champion Broncos enter Week 4 as the only teams with unblemished records.

So, we ask:

This year’s unbeaten crew is surprising, as four of the five are employing different starting quarterbacks from a year ago, while the Ravens’ Joe Flacco is back after tearing his ACL.

As one might expect, all five hold prime spots in this week’s ESPN Power Rankings. With second-year QB Trevor Siemian at the helm, the Broncos have reclaimed the top spot, boasting wins over two playoff teams and Andrew Luck’s Colts.

The Tom Brady-less Patriots have been besieged by injuries but hold down the No. 2 spot, with Brady set to return in Week 5. The Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson to injuries, but Sam Bradford’s addition, combined with a suffocating defense, has vaulted them to No. 4. The Eagles have ridden the hot hand of rookie QB Carson Wentz to No. 7, and the Ravens round out the top 10 at No. 10.

While Wentz looked poised, accurate and polished in the pocket, Cutler played the role of shaky rookie, losing a key fumble and throwing a terrible interception before he left the game with a right-hand injury.

On a weekend when former Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall, running back Matt Forte and tight end Martellus Bennett put up sizable numbers for their new teams, the Bears’ current players — outside of Jeffery (five catches, 96 yards) and Royal (65-yard punt return for a TD) — barely had a pulse.

But maybe the biggest loss is Adam Gase, who after one year of coaching Cutler, left for Miami in the offseason. Gase could ultimately fail as the Dolphins’ head coach, but he understood how to call plays, and just as importantly, he knew how to connect with Cutler.

Rookie third-round pick Jacoby Brissett finished the game for the Patriots, while wide receiver Julian Edelman was the emergency quarterback.

Garoppolo was planted into the Gillette Stadium turf by Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso and went to the locker room shortly thereafter. Garoppolo grimaced in pain after Alonso landed with all his weight on Garoppolo’s shoulder.

The injury came on one of those third-down conversions. Garoppolo held the ball for a long time and evaded pass rushers, eventually finding Malcolm Mitchell for a first down before taking a bit hit. The Patriots barely held on to the victory in the second half after going to a conservative offense.

The Patriots have proven adept at surviving without Tom Brady for two games. Now they might have to survive without Garoppolo for at least one more.

MINNEAPOLIS — This Sunday, Adrian Peterson will line up in the Minnesota Vikings’ backfield for his 10th season opener at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Standing in the backfield with him will be Shaun Hill or Sam Bradford, the 12th starting quarterback the Vikings have used during Peterson’s career in Minnesota.

While it’s probably overly simplistic to assume the Vikings will cope with their quarterback uncertainty just by feeding Peterson the ball, there’s little doubt his presence is a calming factor for the team’s two quarterbacks as the Vikings try to figure out which one of them will replace Bridgewater this week.

“It’s nice knowing that we’ve got the best running back in the game and one of the best defenses in the league,” Bradford said. “We’re probably not going to have to go out there and throw it 60-plus times a game and put up a lot of points. But you still have to come in and you still have to put in the time to learn the new offense. I want to be efficient as I possibly can when I step on the field.”

Whether Bradford or Hill is on the field this Sunday, Peterson begins his 10th season as a focal point of the Vikings’ offense, ready to do his part for a team he’s consistently said is capable of winning a championship. The goal, Peterson said, has not changed.

“We have an opportunity,” he said. “It is very unfortunate to have the [Bridgewater] injury happen. It takes a team to win a championship, so we are still chasing the same thing.”

Asked if he has considered taking a knee during the national anthem, Baldwin said, “I have. I want to make sure that I get all of my ducks in a row before I do so.”

Added Avril: “We’re thinking about it. I am. I truly respect what Kaep is doing. I think some people are taking it out of context because they’re not experiencing the same thing other people are experiencing. They can’t really see it. But as a person that does see it and does see what’s really going on out here, I definitely could see me doing something about it as well.”

Baldwin recently posted a message on Facebook in which a member of the military told the wide receiver that he’d support him if he were to kneel for the anthem.

Baldwin and several of his teammates spent a day training with combat divers this offseason and have discussed their respect for the armed forces.

After Kaepernick’s initial protest, Baldwin said he reached out to the 49ers quarterback and talked to him extensively.

“My grandfather being in the military, it hit home for me as well,” Baldwin said. “It’s the veterans. That’s more heartening to me than anything. It’s the veterans that have reached out and said that that’s what they fought for. That’s what they sacrificed their lives for was to give people back home under the flag, under the country, the opportunity to stand up or sit for what they believe in. So that was very heartening for me to hear that and that response from the veterans.”

Avril said he doesn’t see the gesture as one that disrespects the military.

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict hasn’t thought about how he’ll watch his team in the first three weeks of the season.

It won’t be from the sidelines.

Burfict didn’t practice in the final two weeks of the preseason but instead did work on the rehab field. It’s a glimpse of what the coming weeks will look like. Once the suspension begins, Burfict will not be able to practice with the team.

Here’s what you need to know about Glenn:

Call him Goose. Rob might be known across the country as “Gronk,” but Glenn doesn’t go by the same nickname. His family refers to him as “Goose” — for reasons nobody can seem to remember.

He thinks he’s smarter than Rob. When fans think of Rob Gronkowski, party cruises and dance moves might come to mind. But Glenn is different. “I think a lot of people have already realized that I’m not as crazy as him,” Glenn said in May. “It’s not easy to be that crazy and wild, but I think people are already starting to realize that. I’m a little more tame, a little more intelligent probably, so I would say people are already starting to recognize that.”

He’s the youngest of five brothers. Glenn, 23, is the baby of his family.

Rob, 27, has been with the New England Patriots since 2010;

Chris, 29, was a fullback who appeared in games for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos from 2010 to 2012;

Dan, 31, was a tight end for the Detroit Lions, Broncos, Patriots and Cleveland Browns from 2009 to 2011;

Gordie Jr., 33, was a first baseman drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 49th round in 2006. He played professional baseball until 2011.

Lawson, 32, was expected to start opposite Jerry Hughes in the Bills’ 3-4 defense until first-round pick Shaq Lawson (shoulder surgery) returns from the physically unable to perform list. The earliest Lawson is eligible to return is Week 7.